In-depth cookery book reviews.
Nigel Slater calls Leith’s Meat Bible “the best friend you can have in the kitchen” and whilst that title goes to my husband, I can understand why he endorses the book so enthusiastically – it’s likely to earn itself a permanent home on our bookshelves. Written by Max Clark and Susan Spaull the book is, as ... Read more »
I recenty won a copy of The Scandinavian Cookbook by Trina Hahnemann, evidence of a recent growth in interest in Scandinavian food and lifestyle. People often ask me about trends in food. And usually, I stutter and stall as panic shuts my brain down and all thoughts of the various fads, trends, infatuations, developments (call ... Read more »
Snowflakes and Schnapps by Jane Lawson has a Scandinavian feel about it, focused as it is on hearty dishes with a winter theme. But actually, Australian-born Lawson covers a much wider swathe of Europe in this tome. The book’s blurb invites us to “Join Jane Lawson as she takes you on a culinary journey through ... Read more »
A few months ago I reviewed John Torode’s Chicken And Other Birds. This time it’s the turn of his latest book, Beef And Other Bovine Matters. The chicken pie we made to his recipe was a thing of beauty. Would his Aunty Mary’s beef pie be as good? Whereas the chicken pie recipe called for ready-made ... Read more »
Indulgence Coffee is a book about nostalgia. Published in April, it’s part of a series by Murdoch Books which aims to celebrate vintage style and “a bygone era when dressing up, serving tea in fine china and writing personal thank you notes afterwards were regarded as simply good manners.” In that, it succeeds, full of ... Read more »
Books on growing your own fruit and vegetables seem to be ten a penny at the moment, as publishers leap onto the latest bandwagon, keen to milk the home farming phenomenon. Often dull and weighty tomes, they add little to the existing excellent literature already available. Celia Brook Brown’s New Urban Farmer makes a refreshing change, ... Read more »
I’ve been desperate to cook some of the delectably tempting recipes in Cuisinier Gascon by Pascal Aussignac since I got my mitts on it just before leaving for the Falklands. It’s a really, really beautiful book, full of mouth-watering recipes and beautiful images, not just of some of the dishes but also of life in ... Read more »
The Silver Spoon Pasta book by Phaidon is a monster of a cookery book! With over 50 shapes of pasta and 360 individual recipes it’s a real tome of reference for traditional Italian pasta recipes. And just like so many of our friends, we find pasta a wonderfully delicious, yet quick and simple, option for ... Read more »
For many years, my username on some sites has been Kaveypie, rather than Kavey. That’s all down to my having introduced the members of one particular website to the delights of Weebl & Bob, back when the cartoon had just a couple of episodes to it’s name. “Mmmmm, Pie!” became a common refrain and I ... Read more »
When I came across the Matthew Walker Christmas Pudding challenge posted on the UK Food Bloggers Association forum, I couldn’t resist! They invited bloggers to conjure up a creative recipe based on their “Recipe No. 13 Christmas Pudding” which they would kindly supply for the purposes of the competition! I knew what I wanted to ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]